The Discovery Museum is full of energy

October is “Energy Month” at the Discovery Museum. From Viscosity experiments! Pinwheel crafts! Wind catching! Magnet hunting and calorie burning! It's all about energy this month at the museum as we celebrate all types of energy: petroleum and natural gas, solar and wind, magnetic and human energy.

Why all the buzz about energy? Well, the museum is host to the Mobile Oilfield Learning Unit (MOLU), which teaches kids about oil, petroleum, and natural gas by focusing on the math and science related to using these items from the Earth for energy. Oil and natural gas is used to provide energy for 60 percent of things we power in this country. Even with all of the different types of energy available and being developed, oil and natural gas will continue to be about 60 percent of our energy sources, even in 2035.

Santa Barbara County has a lot of oil deposits that can be drilled and used to help make sure our country has more oil and natural gas available. Making sure we all understand why we consume so much energy, how to ensure we have a reliable supply of it, and how our local environment can be affected by the sourcing of energy is important information for kids and families in our community.

Another interesting energy idea: It’s Nickelodeon’s Day of Play at the Museum on Oct. 6 and we, along with Nickelodeon, are encouraging kids to step away from the TV and use their bodies to have fun and create energy. Families can join us on Oct. 6 to climb our rock climbing wall and test their resting and active heart rates to determine how much energy we can produce with our active bodies. Energy is important to making the world go around; come to the museum all month long and learn about the energy we use and the energy we can make. ∆

Kelly White O’Neill is executive director for the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum. Discovery Corner is a weekly column in the Sun, highlighting events, science activities, and more for the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum at 705 S. McClelland in Santa Maria. Send comments to discoverycorner@santamariasun.com.